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Robert Blennerhassett, of Ballycarty, Co.Kerry

Robert Blennerhassett, of Ballycarty, Co.Kerry,
born est c.1570, Cumberland, England.
His father
was granted lands in Co.Kerry, Ireland, in 1590.
His father stayed in England but Robert
settled in Ireland after 1590.
He lived Ballycarty Castle.
He
mar Elizabeth Conway
[born est c.1575, descendant of Henry I,
hence the entire Blennerhassett family of Co.Kerry has a Royal Descent].

Our family descend somehow from Blennerhassett of Ireland.
The descent is through
George Cashel
(George Blennerhassett Cashel, born 1807, Co.Kerry).

Our exact connection is uncertain.
The Cashel family story was that they were descended from a runaway marriage
of a Protestant Blennerhassett daughter with their ancestor,
a Catholic Mr. Cashel.
The story was that she was disinherited for running away with a Catholic.
[PAT/10, p.3]
said:
"Her family disowned her but the Cashels all thought it very romantic".
The Cashels used "Blennerhassett" as a family middle name and even first name
for multiple generations afterwards,
but unfortunately neglected to clearly write down
the descent.
Pat Lavelle said it was the mother of
George Cashel who ran away,
and her name was Letitia Blennerhassett.

My current thinking is that this woman, despite her two husbands, is probably the mother
of George Cashel.
There is some evidence that she had an affair during her 1st marriage and separated from her husband.

When
George Cashel
joined the County Constabulary in Sept 1828,
he was recommended by "A. Blennerhasset, J.P.".
One would imagine this is a relation.
However, there were multiple prominent and respectable A. Blennerhassett's,
even restricted to that time.
There are basically three candidates for this person:

Sir Arthur Blennerhassett, 3rd Baronet,
of Churchtown, Killarney.
High Sheriff of Co.Kerry 1820-21.
He married a Catholic 1826 and converted to Catholicism 1827.
So might have been sympathetic to Cashel's position
even if not close relative.
Became 3rd Baronet 1831.
In 1832 he is one of the Magistrates of Co.Kerry.
Died 1849.

Letitia Hurly
would have the married name Letitia Blennerhassett
after 1808.

Cashel

In fact, there is a Cashel or Cashell family,
the Rowan Cashel family,
that is itself descended from the Blennerhassetts.
Perhaps the reason Edward and Letitia got together was because they were already connected
(from a marriage in the 1720s).

There are also connections of Cashel to Blennerhassett
through Harding and Lawrence:

Letitia Blennerhassett,
born est c.1785, Protestant,
ran away with a Catholic, disinherited, [PAT/10, p.3]
says she
became a Catholic herself,
her son George Cashel was Catholic (though this may only have been through his marriage),
mar Edward Cashel and had issue.